Principal Financial Group Inc. lessened its position in shares of Aerie Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:AERI) by 18.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,466 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,474 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Aerie Pharmaceuticals were worth $558,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AERI. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in Aerie Pharmaceuticals by 132.4% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,466,119 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,928,000 after purchasing an additional 835,304 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc increased its holdings in Aerie Pharmaceuticals by 12.7% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc now owns 3,887,580 shares of the company’s stock worth $239,281,000 after purchasing an additional 436,964 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Aerie Pharmaceuticals by 12.7% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,887,580 shares of the company’s stock worth $239,281,000 after purchasing an additional 436,964 shares in the last quarter. Sectoral Asset Management Inc increased its holdings in Aerie Pharmaceuticals by 45.9% during the 4th quarter. Sectoral Asset Management Inc now owns 1,133,954 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,936,000 after purchasing an additional 356,484 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Foresite Capital Management IV LLC bought a new position in Aerie Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth about $9,452,000.

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In other news, insider Casey C. Kopczynski sold 11,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.17, for a total value of $507,870.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 97,243 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,489,709.31. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 10.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Zacks Investment Research cut Aerie Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 25th. Mizuho restated a “buy” rating on shares of Aerie Pharmaceuticals in a report on Friday, February 8th. ValuEngine cut Aerie Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 5th. Canaccord Genuity set a $65.00 price objective on Aerie Pharmaceuticals and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald set a $85.00 price objective on Aerie Pharmaceuticals and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. The company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $76.50.

Shares of NASDAQ AERI opened at $39.17 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.80 billion, a PE ratio of -8.42 and a beta of 0.96. Aerie Pharmaceuticals Inc has a fifty-two week low of $32.18 and a fifty-two week high of $74.75.

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Aerie Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc, an ophthalmic pharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialization of first-in-class therapies for the treatment of glaucoma, retinal diseases, and other eye diseases. Its lead product is Rhopressa, a once-daily eye drop to reduce elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension.